In his report to Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos, DCCA Secretary Melvin O. Faisao described the historic preservation programmatic/cooperative agreement for Tinian as “financially viable and optimistically advantageous to the CNMI community and government.”
This agreement, Faisao said, includes $1.2 million in financial assistance to the CNMI museum on Saipan and $500,000 funding for the display center on Tinian.
As part of the cooperative agreement, the DOD will consult with the U.S National Parks Service and the CNMI Historic Preservation Office to come up with appropriate measure to maintain access to national historical land marks.
The DOD will also cooperate with the CNMI Museum on all archaeological materials that will be collected on Tinian. These materials will be transferred to the museum.
The DOD will allow the CNMI HPO to review its training module for military personnel and contractors.
The agreement states that DOD “recognizes the long and unique history of Carolinian and Chamorro peoples of the CNMI and the importance of protecting and preserving the record of that history under federal law.”
Aside from business gross revenue tax that will be generated from the contractors, vendors and hardware stores, as well as employment taxes from construction workers, the deal, Faisao said, is also projected to create a multiplier effect in the local economy once the buildup starts on Guam.
“There will be financial activity immediately from vehicle rental, housing, and subsistence expense during the archaeological data recovery and during the construction phases which involves the firing range project on Tinian, the Tinian Visitor Center and the CNMI Museum on Saipan,” Faisao said.
The CNMI team tasked to review the agreement is composed of Faisao, Division of Environmental Quality Director Frank M. Rabauliman, Coastal Resource Management Office Executive Director Rita Chong, HPO outgoing archaeologist Ronnie Rogers, CNMI Museum representative Scott Russell, Assistant Attorneys General Brian D. Gallagher Kate B. Fuller and Tom J. Schweiger.
